Film The Best Martin Luther King Jr. Movies, Ranked

List Rules Only movies that feature Martin Luther King, Jr. as a main character.

From documentaries to biopics, we're ranking the best movies about Martin Luther King, Jr. The civil rights activist has been depicted numerous times in film and TV, but this list only looks at movies where Martin Luther King, Jr. is the central character. What is the best MLK movie?

In one of his greatest roles, David Oyelowo portrayed Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Oscar nominated movie Selma. Some good MLK documentaries include In the Hour of Chaos, King in the Wilderness, and Bringing King to China.

Vote up the best movies about MLK, and feel free to add your favorites if they're missing from the list.

list ordered by

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SelmaOprah Winfrey, Common, Cuba Gooding Jr. Selma is a 2014 historical drama film directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb. It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and ...more

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12 1

Selma, Lord, SelmaJurnee Smollett, Clifton Powell, Afemo Omilami Selma, Lord, Selma is a 1999 American film based on true events that happened in March 1965, known as Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. The film tells the story through the eyes of an 11-year-old ...more

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Our Friend, MartinJohn Travolta, Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg Our Friend, Martin is a 1999 animated children's educational film about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the American civil rights movement. Two friends travel through time, meeting Dr. King at ...more

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7 3

Alpha Man: The Brotherhood of MLK Alpha Man: The Brotherhood of MLK is a television documentary film that reveals the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s fraternity days as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Produced by ...more

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5 1

King in the WildernessMartin Luther King Jr King in the Wilderness is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Peter W. Kunhardt. A look at the final years in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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In the Hour of ChaosJazz Walker, Lynnette Holmes, Jason Dorough In the Hour of Chaos is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Bayer Mack. Set against a backdrop of sociopolitical intrigue and anarchy spanning three generations of the King family, the ...more

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2 1

BoycottTerrence Howard, Jeffrey Wright, C. C. H. Pounder Boycott is a 2001 drama film about Black Americans who boycotted the public buses during the 1950's civil rights movement, written by Herman Daniel Farrell and Timothy J. Sexton and directed by ...more

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Bringing King to China Bringing King to China is a 2011 documentary film by Kevin McKiernan. The cinematographers include three-time Oscar-winner Haskell Wexler. The documentary is "a father's 'love letter' to ...more

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The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306 The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 is a 2008 documentary short film created to honor the 40th annual remembrance of the life and death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The film received a ...more

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0 3

I Am Curious (Yellow)Sven Wollter, Börje Ahlstedt, Lena Nyman I Am Curious (Yellow) is a 1967 Swedish drama film written and directed by Vilgot Sjöman, starring Sjöman and Lena Nyman. It is a companion film to 1968's I Am Curious; the two were ...more

not on the list? add item #12

List Rules: Only movies that feature Martin Luther King, Jr. as a main character.